San Francisco International University College of Law

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Enrollment

Business and Professions Code Section 6061.7(a) Information Report - download

San Francisco International University College of Law admission process can be started at any time as San Francisco International University College of Law accepts students on rolling basis.

An applicant for admission must:

  • Have completed at least two years of college work or demonstrated equivalent in accordance with Rule 4.25(A) of the Admission Rules and Section 6060(c)(1) of the California Business and Professional Code.
  • More information can be found at www.calbar.ca.gov. Students should note that although there is no prescribed pre-law undergraduate course of study, students should consider courses that help cultivate critical skills needed for success in law study and practice.
  • Submit a statement of purpose.
  • Submit character references from two (2) individuals that are not related and that can attest for the applicant’s good moral fitness.
  • Fill out an Application for Admission.
  • Pay the application fee of $ 99 (Non-refundable). Application fee can be paid by credit card, bank deposit or wire transfer.
  • In addition to that, International Applicants are required to:
  • Have their foreign degrees evaluated either by World Educational Services Inc. or another similar evaluation agency
  • Successfully pass Test of English as Foreign Language or another English proficiency exam. In order to be admitted, SFIU requires minimum TOEFL score of 530 in paper format. Minimum score for TOEFL iBT is 71.

Applicants who have previously attended another law school must disclose that information on the application for admission as well as whether the Applicant was in good standing at that school. Applicant shall also submit official transcript from that law school.

San Francisco International University College of Law will only accept official transcripts and test scores and it is the Student’s responsibility to ensure receipt of these requirements. All the materials for admission may be either mailed to San Francisco International University College of Law, 400 Oyster Point Plaza Ste. 422, South San Francisco, CA 94080 or emailed to admissions@sfiulaw.com.

College Work: "Two years of college work" means a minimum of sixty semester or ninety quarter units of college credit:

  • Equivalent to at least half that required for a bachelor’s degree from a college or university that has degree-granting authority from the state in which it is located; and
  • Completed with a grade average adequate for graduation.

An official transcript showing a bachelor’s degree from a qualified institution or, if no bachelor’s degree has been earned, official transcripts of all prelaw studies, and transcripts of any graduate studies must be submitted for all applicants, whether the applicant intends to meet the academic qualifications through college work or through demonstrated equivalent intellectual achievement (CLEP). Transcripts should be sent directly from the issuing institution.

Foreign Applicants may also meet the pre-legal education requirement by using credits from a foreign institution evaluated by World Educational Services Inc. or another organization approved by the State Bar of California.

Applicants should be advised that as an alternative to "two years of college work", student might also take College-Level Examination Program (CLEP).

College-Level Examination Program (CLEP): Applicants who have not completed at least two years of college work in accordance with Rule 4.25(A) of the Admissions Rules and Section 6060(c)(1) of the California Business and Professions Code may satisfy the general education requirements that must be completed prior to beginning law study by attaining a score of 50 or higher on the following College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) examinations, which are administered by the College Board:

Under Composition and Literature category:

  • College Composition

(Note: For OBCL requirements, do not complete the similarly named "College Composition Modular" exam, this is a separate exam that will not satisfy the school’s application requirements.)

Two other examinations, each designed to correspond to full-year courses (6 semester hours each*) or four other examinations, each designed to correspond to semester courses (3 semester hours each*) that can be selected from any of the following subjects:

  • Composition and Literature (College Composition & Humanities examination only)
  • Foreign Languages
  • History and Social Sciences
  • Science and Mathematics
  • Business

Applicants must register to take the CLEP examinations directly with the College Board and request that score reports be submitted to the Admission Department of SFIU.

The College Board
P. O. Box 6600
Princeton, NJ 08541-6600
1-800-257-9558

San Francisco International University College of Law recipient code for CLEP exam is 6564.

LSAT: Applicants for J.D. Program at San Francisco International University are not required to take Law School Admission Test (LSAT). Despite of that, the Committee of Bar Examiners requires each applicant for California Bar Exam to have LSAC number. It can be obtained at www.lsac.org.

SFIU will not permit a person to enroll or attend classes for more than forty-five (45) days after the beginning of the term, unless SFIU has official transcripts showing eligibility for admission under § 6060(c)(1) of the California Business and Professions Code and Rule VII, Section 1 of the Rules Regulating Admission to Practice Law in California or an official certification that the student had passed the equivalency examination required by § 6060(c)(2) of the California and Professions Code and Rule VII, Section 1 of the Rules Regulating Admission to Practice Law in California at the time the student is admitted.

Admission as a Regular Student: An applicant who has a bachelor's degree from an institution approved by the Committee is admissible as a Regular Student. An applicant who does not have a bachelor's degree, but who has completed at least one-half of the work required for a bachelor's degree at a college or university approved by the Committee, is admissible as a Regular Student. If the law school does not receive official transcripts establishing Regular Student status within forty-five (45) days after the term begins, the student must be reclassified as a Special Student, if admissible as a Special Student, or the student must be immediately disqualified as a student in the law school’s J.D. degree program

Admission as a Special Student: An applicant whose pre-law studies do not satisfy the requirements of Guideline 5.32 must be classified as a Special Student. Admission of Special Students must be limited. An applicant may not be admitted as a Special Student unless he or she has satisfied the examination requirements (currently the College Level Equivalency Program examination) of § 6060(c)(2) of the California Business and Professions Code and Rule VII, Section 1 of the Rules Regulating Admission to Practice Law in California.

Awarding of Transfer Credit: SFIU may award transfer credit to an applicant, subject to the following limitations:

  • (A) No credit may be granted unless the requirements of § 6060(h) of the California Business and Professions Code have been met, that is, unless the applicant has passed the First-Year Law Students’ Examination or became exempt while attending an accredited law school. To be exempt from the examination, the student must have successfully completed the first year at the accredited law school and have been advanced to the second year by the same law school.
  • (B) Credit should ordinarily be granted for whole courses completed not more than twenty-seven (27) months prior to the date the applicant begins study at the SFIU. This time limitation does not apply to students who have passed the First-Year Law Students’ Examination. In some instances, such as illness, personal tragedy or military service, it may be appropriate to permit credit for studies completed more than twenty-seven (27) months prior to admission. The Dean must approve any exception and an explanation must be placed in the student's file.
  • (C) For students who were disqualified for academic reasons at the prior law school, credit should be granted only for courses in which the applicant received a grade above passing. For students who were in good standing at the prior law school, credit may be granted for all passing grades. For all applicants who have passed the First-Year Law Students’ Examination, credit may be allowed in Torts, Contracts, and Criminal Law, even if the grades at the prior law school were not above passing.
  • (D) SFIU may not grant credit for a course completed at the prior law school in excess of the number of units the admitting law school would award for a course with the same number of classroom or participatory hours.
  • (E) SFIU should be satisfied that the subject matter of, and the quality of the applicant's performance in, the courses for which credit is allowed, were substantially the same as that for like courses and grades in the SFIU.
  • (F) SFIU reserves right not to grant any credit allowable under Guideline 5.35(B).

Statement on basis for readmitting students previously disqualified for academic reasons placed in student’s file. Guideline 5.34.

  • Applicants previously disqualified for academic reasons may be granted admission when there is an affirmative showing by the applicant that he or she possesses the requisite ability for the study of law. Such a showing may be made:
  • (A) At any time, if the applicant presents credible evidence that the prior disqualification was not caused by the applicant's lack of capacity for the study of law, but resulted from a traumatic event or serious hardship that prohibited the applicant from performing at her or his normal level; or
  • (B) After at least two (2) years have elapsed since the disqualification, if the applicant demonstrates that work, study, or other experience during the interim has resulted in a stronger potential for law study than the applicant exhibited at the time he or she was previously disqualified for academic reasons.

Student previously disqualified for academic reasons may be readmitted under the condition that:

  • Student petitions the Dean’s office for readmission;
  • Student submits a statement, signed under penalty of perjury, describing traumatic event or serious hardship that prohibited the applicant from performing at her or his normal level before being dismissed or at least (2) years have lapsed since disqualification;
  • Student was not previously disqualified for academic reasons;
  • Student successfully passed California First-Year Law Students’ Examination (FYLSX).

In each case, the Dean or admissions officer must sign and place in the applicant's file a statement of the reasons for admitting the applicant.